Sting's Child Eliot Sumner Does Not Identify With A Gender

Sting's Child Eliot Sumner Does Not Identify With A Gender

Eliot Sumner, the child of British rocker Sting, opened up about gender and sexual identity for the first time in an intimate new interview with the Evening Standard. Sumner, who has not publicly requested to be called by any particular pronoun, said "no" when asked if they identified with either gender. "I don't believe in any specifications," the singer said.

Sumner, born biologically female, explained that for a long time they struggled to figure out how they identified — but ultimately came to the realization that gender labels aren't important. “I think forever I was trying to figure out maybe…what I am. But I don’t think anyone should feel pressured to have any kind of label or tag on them." Sumner, the third child of British musician Sting and his wife Trudie Styler, believes, “We should treat everybody the same. Me, I don’t like to be put down to a specific thing. We’re all human beings." The 25-year-old's stance on sex, gender, and sexuality is mature beyond their years, and offers an incredibly refreshing example of how to treat others, regardless of how they identify or who they're attracted to. Like Sumner says, we're all people.

As for the young musician's family and friends, none of them ever asked about it — but only because they already understood. “They knew already,” said Sumner. “So I didn’t need to. I’ve never come out to anyone. My friends always knew, and I always knew." And isn't that all that matters? Sumner, whose second album Information comes out next month, has gone by the stage name "Coco" in the past. They have been in a relationship Lucie Von Alten, an Austrian model, for the past two years. Sumner also teased another piece of exciting news: In January they will become the new face of "a major international fashion brand." We're excited for the young artist to share more of themselves with the world.